Three Big Reasons - Reason #3

Hello Rescuers! Time to end the series I'm calling Three Big Reasons with the reason I'm calling my favorite:

Rescuing is Fun!

You heard me right; rescuing is fun!

A commonly stated reason for sadness in depressed individuals is a lack of a sense of purpose. Scientists have concluded that owning a pet; someone to feed, care for, and love every day, contributes to a sense of overall well-being in pet parents. This responsibility to another living being can radically change a life for the better. I would like to take this one step farther by proposing that this sense of purpose can be furthered by bringing a rescue animal, as opposed to a bred animal, into your home. Rescue animals would have a very low quality, or no quality, of life were it not for the involvement of their rescuers. Rescue animals need you. Rescuing is a great way to feel needed and a rewarding way to love, and to receive love in return. It may sound like squishy, soft stuff, but love and companionship translates to the hard science of longer, healthier lives for both you and your animal.

They'll Thank You for It

My rescue pets have changed my life as much as I have changed theirs. Rescue pets can be a project: some may come with health issues, behavior problems, and they will all take some time adjusting to their new life with you. I feel like it is the occasional difficulties that make the experience even more rewarding. It is impossible to overstate the full hearted feeling you get when the skinny, patchy dog from the side of the road grows a full coat and a strong body, bursting with happy wiggles, under your care. It can knock your heart a happy sideways when the feral cat with behavior problems that were once thought to be "unfixable" mellows into a fuzzy doughball after a year of your continuous love. Even a little rodent starving and unsocialized from neglect turning into an awkward, pudgy, thankful companion gets to you more than you'd think. But these are only my experiences. There are many more to be had.



I encourage you to try out this rare kind of joy for yourself. It's good for your health, it's good your heart, and it's immeasurably fun.



Sources:

Can Pets Make You Happy? How Stuff Works. Retrieved from: http://science.howstuffworks.com
     /environmental/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/pets-happiness.htm  

Pets Improve Your Health. Web MD. Retrieved from: http://pets.webmd.com/ss/slideshow-pets-improve-
    your-health?page=2

Three Big Reasons - Reason #2

Hey rescuers! Happy Friday. Hope you had a good week.

Last week, I started a series I'm calling Three Big Reasons. It explains my personal, fact-backed reasons for promotion adoption instead of purchasing a companion animal.

Let's dive right in to reason #2.

Rescuing, Because They're Already There!

In last week's post, I listed some of the most popular ways to rescue a needy pet. We know that it is not only is it easy and inexpensive to rescue a pet, but that the animals are much healthier than those you would get at a pet store.

So here's my big reason #2 - why not rescue? Why bring another animal into the world, when your perfect companion is already waiting for you? Your best friend is already here! With just a little digging, you can find them.

Pet Overpopulation: It's a Big Waggin' Deal

70,000 cats and dogs are born in the US every day. This is staggering, considering that these animals are replacing the 10,000 cats and dogs euthanized every day, many going right into shelters to fill those empty slots, or from a breeder into a home, hurting that shelter animal's chances of ever getting adopted. Between 25-30% of animals that end up in shelters are pure-bred animals, and many of them are very young. Many other animals are already trained and socialized, as 70% of people who acquire animals end up giving them away, usually to a shelter, and almost always because the owner was unable to care for an animal that was very capable of being a "good boy".

So why buy? Buying an animal takes an open slot away from a shelter pet and encourages breeders to contribute even further to overpopulation. You don't need to be a part of that at all! Your ideal buddy is already here, waiting at a shelter for you to come save him. All you have to do is go find him.
For the statistics sited in this blog post and more, check out
Source:Animal Overpopulation. Oxford Lafayette Humane Society. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordpets.com
     /index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=63

Three Big Reasons - Reason #1

Hey everyone! Time for our first Wednesday update.

Some of you who are new to rescuing may wonder - why is it so important to adopt a pet?

This is the first in a series I'm calling "Three Big Reasons". I hope you enjoy! Feel free to share your "Big Reasons" in the comments below.

Rescuing, the Economical Option

This is a big one, especially for people like me who want a companion on a budget. Doing the right thing can save you some green!

Petstores:
Think I'm kidding about animals being expensive? We all know about the vet bills, the toys, the feeding, and yes, we need to have some money saved up and a steady income to provide for all of that. But the upfront cost of buying a pet? It can be steep. For instance, the last time I walked into one of popular pet store Petland's, a known dealer in unethically sourced puppy mill dogs (Weaver, 2008), Dallas locations earlier this year, they were selling pups at $1,400 each. Yesh! Combined with the fact that many puppy mill dogs will get sick and require expensive vet bills or die within their first year (Associated Press, 2009), this cruel practice is simply ridiculously expensive when so many other ethical adoption options are readily available.

Craigslist:
People find strays in need of loving homes every day. Who of us hasn't seen a stray animal duck under a bush, walk confused along the street, caring for their young under a car? A quick sweep of Craigslist.org will almost always feature posts from people who have either found strays, or that are looking to re-home an animal they can no longer care for. Many of these animals are already altered, housetrained, and some come with supplies, and most are offered at no cost. A great source for free companions, Craigslist.org also features many postings for baby animals from accidental litters, and is a wonderful source for people set on bringing a new puppy, pinky, hatchling, kitten, or other little friend into their life.

Petfinder:
A few minutes with shelter search-engine tool Petfinder.com will show you even more great companions, most going for around $100. These shelter animals are generally the best overall value, as shelters generally offer great perks such as free altering and microchip services. Plus, you know your money is going right back into a charitable organization that rescues animals.

Private Rescues:
Private, breed-specific rescues are wonderful if you just have to get that certain pet, but you still want to shop ethically and safe a life. For insurance, Golden Beginnings, a Houston-based Golden Retriever rescue offers dogs for an adoption fee of $250. Adopting a Greyhound through New England rescue Greyhound Rescue, Inc. is also $250. These friends come not only with a reduced cost as compared to buying animal from a breeder, but it also puts your money back into a charity that will use it to save more animals.

Sources:
So that's big reason number one! Here are the sources I referenced. You can enjoy these for some extra reading and research of your own.:


Adoption Process. Greyhound Rescue, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.greyrescue.com/index.php
     /adoptable-dogs/adoption-process

Adopting a Golden Retriever. Golden Beginnings. Retrieved from http://www.gbgrr.org/testweb
     /adopt_golden.htm

Animal Overpopulation. Oxford Lafayette Humane Society. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordpets.com
     /index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=63

Associated Press. (2009, March 18). Petland accused of selling sick puppies to unsuspecting customers.    
     FoxNews.com.

Community - Pets. Dallas Craigslist. Retrieved from http://dallas.craigslist.org/pet/

Search for a Pet. Petfinder.com. Retrieved from http://www.petfinder.com/index.html


Weaver, J. (2008, November 20). Investigation ties pet chain to puppy mills. NBCNEWS.com.

My First Rescue Pet

My First Rescue Pet

When young adults go off to find a place of their own, many choose to fill the new space by getting a pet. Unfortunately, animal rescue resources tend to pitch to people who are either far-left activists (exclusively vegan, etc), or much older than my college aged peers (parents with families). While targeting these two groups is one strategy for securing homes for homeless animals, it leaves my demographic bracket, young mostly mainstream pet owners, unaddressed. Because of this, many young adults remain ignorant and continue to support puppy mills and unethical breeders when they obtain pets. This support can lead them to buy pets instead of to rescue and thus contributes to the unnecessary euthanasia, homelessness, and general mistreatment of companion animals.

Resources Inadequately Addressing Target Group

• http://www.facebook.com/GoodShepherdRescue is not scannable and features images of older women and families. 
• http://www.feralfriends.org/ does a good job of organizing its information, but features events and images centered around older adults with children
• http://www.peta.org/ espouse an all-or-nothing approach to animal stewardship, alienating many potential rescuers.
• http://www.peta2.com/ successfully targets my age group, alienates people who wear/eat animal products. 
• http://www.aspca.org/ great resource that lacks a section addressing young adults.

How This Blog Will Help

I want to curtail this trend of misinformation and unethical purchasing behavior with my blog, My First Rescue Pet. By combining persuasive, accurate information with up-to-date tips and trends, I will craft a concise, accessible, fun blog resource aimed at young adults that teaches the merits of adopting versus purchasing a companion animal. This blog will provide resources on animal selection, pet preparation, activism, and global animal stewardship all in a voice that the teens and twenties set can relate to. There are resources out there and blogs about adopting, however, none are zeroed in on this subject for this audience like mine will be. I will post twice a week on Wednesday and Sunday evenings so that my post can be considered and commented on by my readers throughout the week. Encouraging readers to become part of the discussion will be a key element of this blog.

I know I am a good candidate for producing and curating this resource as I have personally spent my life working for this cause by both putting in volunteer hours with rescue groups and being pet parent to many cats, dogs, and various small pets that would have otherwise gone on without a home. As a twenty-two year old college student heavily involved in many internet communities, I feel that my writing style would be ideal for a blog targeted at young people who think in the language of the web. This project will ultimately lead to a more informed readership, an end to unethical breeding practices, and translate into more rescues and adoptions.

References
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. ASPCA. www.aspca.org
Feral Friends Community Cat Alliance. Feral Friends. www.feralfriends.org
Good Shepard Rescue of North Texas. www.facebook.com/GoodShepherdRescue
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA. www.peta.com
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA 2. www.peta2.com